The rural world offers a heterogeneous picture caused by a rich past and varied
responses to a diversity of socio-economic, demographic and political challenges. The
present paper aims to trace new opportunities for rurality in the context of a
metamorphosis of current production and consumption systems.
Addressing issues like diversification, local competition or networking, rural firms
are adapting to new conditions by segmenting and moving towards less concentrated
forms, in an attempt to integrate the marketing of non-market commodities as the most
adequate strategies for consumers. Such strategies that presuppose skills based on a
specific know-how and technological improvements also oblige locals to enhance their
knowledge basis and learning capacities, thereby facilitating a more environmentally
sustainable production model that simultaneously stimulates balanced development. The
case of biotechnology in the region of Andalusia (Spain) was used as an illustration to
map out the above complex force field.
The rural world suggests a new paradigm in which social participation is more
needed and local and regional actors are encouraged to find meaningful compromises
for the sustainable governance of natural resources and the advancement of social
learning